How Long Does The Herpes Outbreak Last

Who Might Get Herpes Simplex

It Might Be Good to Have Herpes | Trained Immunity

People of any age can contract herpes simplex. You are more likely to get the virus if you:

Were assigned female at birth.
Have had multiple sex partners.
Started having sex at a young age.
Have a history of any sexually transmitted infection .
Have a weakened immune system.
Dont use condoms for intercourse and dental dams for oral sex.

Who gets HSV-1, commonly known as oral herpes?

Anyone can get HSV-1. Most people contract HSV-1 during childhood. It spreads when an adult who has the virus has close contact with a child, such as when a family member kisses a child.

Who gets HSV-2, commonly known as genital herpes?

Genital herpes affects sexually active teens and adults of all genders and races. It can spread if you have multiple sexual partners and dont use condoms or dental dams.

People assigned female at birth are more at risk. Delicate vaginal tissue can tear, making it easier for the infection to get in. Black people who were AFAB are especially vulnerable, with an estimated 1 in 2 people AFAB between the ages of 14 and 49 infected with HSV-2.

How Long Does A Genital Herpes Outbreak Last

Since you clicked on an article with “herpes” in the title rather than “cold sore,” you’re probably looking for information on genital herpes. We’ll cover that information first!

The length of time a genital herpes outbreak lasts depends on many factors, but in general, the overall timeline is from one to four weeks.

Can I Be Treated To Prevent Genital Herpes Transmission To My Partner

Yes. A large study showed that if one partner has herpes and the other partner is uninfected, treating the infected partner with suppressive therapy can prevent transmission of symptomatic herpes in over 90% of cases. This is an option for couples who are interested in having unprotected sex or who are planning to become pregnant.

If you are entering into a new relationship and are aware that you have herpes simplex infection, you owe it to your partner to notify them before having sex.

Don’t Miss: What Test Is Done For Herpes

What Are The Symptoms Of Herpes Simplex

Many people with the infection never experience any herpes symptoms. If you do notice symptoms, youll experience them differently depending on whether youre having your first herpes outbreak or a repeat outbreak. Recurring symptoms are usually milder than the first outbreak. Symptoms dont last as long with later outbreaks. Some people may only have one or two outbreaks during their lifetime. Others may have as many as four or five outbreaks a year.

People who do have herpes symptoms may experience:

Cold sores around their lips, mouth or tongue. They may look crusty or like fluid-filled blisters.
Tingling, itching or burning.
Pain while urinating.

How Does Herpes Simplex Spread

How long does a herpes outbreak last without treatment

Herpes spreads through close contact with a person who has the infection. The virus can be found in skin and saliva. If you have herpes simplex, you are most likely to pass the virus to another person when you have sores. But you can infect someone else even if you have no symptoms. Healthcare providers call this asymptomatic viral shedding.

People may get HSV-1 through

Touching a persons skin near the mouth.
Sharing food utensils, lip balm or razors.
If you receive oral sex from someone who has a cold sore, it may spread a herpes infection to your genitals.

People may get HSV-2 through

Oral sex with someone whos infected.
Skin-to-skin contact without ejaculation.
Touching open sores, including while breastfeeding.
Childbirth by a mother or gestational parent who has an active infection.

You cant get genital herpes from objects like toilet seats. But you could pass genital herpes through shared sex toys.

Red Light Therapy Can Reduce Duration Of Outbreaks

Red light therapy is a type of treatment proven to help reduce the duration of herpes outbreaks. Clinical research has shown that treatment with red light can shorten the healing time of herpes outbreaks even more than traditional treatments.

The Luminance RED lip sore device and genital sore device are FDA-registered medical devices that use the same kind of high-powered light that achieved such results. To spend the least amount of time with your herpes sores, try one of the Luminance RED devices with its advanced red light therapy technology.

What Causes Recurrent Herpes Outbreaks

Once a patient acquires a herpes virus, it stays in the body for life.

The immune system puts viruses into dormancy.

Many people get the herpes simplex virus and never experience an outbreak or symptoms.

Others will have an initial outbreak, but no recurrences.

Some people get more frequent herpes outbreaks.

HSV-1 or oral herpes causes an average of one recurring outbreak after the initial infection for between 20-50% of people who have the virus.

HSV-2 causes an average of four outbreaks in the first year for as many as 90% of people who have the virus.

Outbreaks of herpes simplex typically become less frequent, and less severe, the longer the virus is in the body.

People who have compromised immune systems may experience more frequent, or more severe, outbreaks.

Don’t Miss: Can You Heal Genital Herpes

Can Genital Herpes Be Treated

Your physician can prescribe different medications to help reduce your symptoms and speed up the healing of an outbreak. These medicines work best when you start them soon after an outbreak occurs.

To reduce pain during an outbreak:

Sit in warm water in a portable bath or bathtub for about 20 minutes. Avoid bubble baths.
Keep your genital area clean and dry, and avoid tight clothes.
Take over-the-counter medications, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Avoid aspirin.

Let your physician know if you are worried about your genital herpes. He or she can recommend a support group to help you cope with the virus.

What Does Genital Herpes Look Like

Promising New Herpes Zoster Vaccine

While some people with genital herpes will never have any symptoms, other people can develop symptoms within a few weeks of being infected.

Often, before the lesions appear, patients describe a prodrome, characterized by a tingling or burning sensation in the area where the lesions will develop that can be noticed during urination, along with itching or discomfort in the genital area.

You can also have the following symptoms:

Blisters on the mouth or lips
Fever, headache or pain in the joints
Trouble urinating

The symptoms of genital herpes often go away and come back as recurring outbreaks. For most people, the first outbreak is the worst, and can last from two to three weeks. Future flare-ups are often less severe and do not last as long. Still, some people shed the virus regularly. The following triggers can make outbreaks more likely to occur:

Viral or bacterial infections
Menstrual periods

Recurrent genital herpes is most common in the first year after the initial infection and decreases as time goes on.

In many cases, anti-herpes medicine can help patients. When a person experiences a prodrome and suspects a recurrence is going to happen, they begin taking anti-herpes medications that lessen symptoms and shorten the time of the outbreak.

Other Impacts Of Genital Herpes

Its important to also remember that there are mental and social impacts of having an incurable STI. Many people with recurrent genital herpes symptoms may feel stigmatized or fearful of pursuing sexual relationships. But people should remember, while genital herpes is not curable, it is manageable, and the outbreaks often decrease over time.

Most people live healthy happy lives with genital herpes .

to track your sex life and herpes symptoms using custom tags.

Lets support one another.

Also Check: Can You Get Genital Herpes Medication Over The Counter

What Happens During An Outbreak

Genital herpes is an infection caused by the herpes simplex virus. You catch it by having intimate contact with someone who has the virus.

In between episodes, most people don’t know they have been infected by it. The virus remains in your nervous system and can be reactivated from time to time to give you symptoms. Outbreaks can occur in the genital area if the first infection was in the genitals. They cause crops of small painful blisters in the genital area and back passage . Herpes can also cause recurrent cold sores if the primary infection was around the mouth.

No one knows why outbreaks occur, although sunlight, physical illness, excess alcohol, and stress are all thought to be trigger factors. They often do become less frequent over time.

Recurrent episodes of genital herpes generally don’t last as long as the first outbreak. They are sometimes preceded by itching or tingling in the genital area. Recurrent outbreaks usually last about 7-10 days, shorter than the primary infection which can last up to two weeks. They are also often milder than a primary infection but as R35506 found, the shallow ulcers left when the blisters break can still be quite painful.

Also Check: Is Hiv And Herpes Test The Same

Talking To Your Healthcare Provider About Herpes Discharge

Talking about changes in your genital health can be uncomfortable. Most people consider these topics private and have difficulty discussing them, especially with problems like a foul odor or blisters. There is also a stigma associated with sexually transmitted infections.

You can only confirm a diagnosis of herpes by testing the fluid from blisters or having a blood test done by a healthcare provider. They are trained to care for all types of bodies, organs, and diseases. Don’t be afraid to ask for help to protect your health and your sexual partners.

While most outbreaks can be managed without medical help, you should call your healthcare provider if your herpes outbreak comes with symptoms like:

Some of the best ways to prevent the spread of herpes are to:

Abstain from sexual contact
Avoid sexual contact with infected partners

Barrier methods like condoms can reduce the transmission of the herpes virus, but do not prevent it. While herpes can be transmitted at any time it is most contagious during periods of active symptoms. You should avoid sexual contact if you or an infected partner are experiencing an outbreak.

How To Prevent Herpes

But most people have sex at some point in their lives, so knowing how to have safer sex is important. Using protection like condoms and dental dams when you have sex helps to lower your risk of getting an STD.

Herpes can live on areas of your body that arent protected by condoms , so condoms wont always protect you from herpes. But they do lower your chances of getting herpes.

Dont have sex with anyone during a herpes outbreak, because thats when it spreads most easily. But herpes can also spread when there are no sores or symptoms, so its important to use condoms and dental dams, even if everything looks and feels A-OK.

You May Like: Why Does Herpes Cause Blisters

If You Have Genital Herpes Already Can It Be Spread To Other Parts Of The Body Such As The Arms Or Legs

No. Genital herpes cannot be transmitted to another part of your body such as your arm, leg or hand after the first infection occurs. If you have genital HSV II, you will not get HSV II at another site in your body. The immune system produces antibodies that protect other parts of your body from infection. However, there are cases where a person has multiple site infections from the same virus. This is usually acquired at the time of the first infection. For example, if someone has never had herpes but then has oral and genital sex with an infected partner, they can acquire the infection at both sites.

Read Also: How To Ease Herpes Pain

What Is Herpes Simplex

Herpes simplex is a virus that causes skin infections. The infection lasts your lifetime, and it causes painful or itchy sores and blisters that come and go. Herpes simplex virus typically doesnt cause severe problems. But it can be dangerous in infants and people with weakened immune systems. There are two types of herpes simplex:

Herpes simplex 1 tends to affect your mouth or face. It causes cold sores. HSV-1 spreads through contact with saliva .
Herpes simplex 2 is a sexually transmitted disease . It causes sores on skin that comes in contact with the genitals of an infected person.

Sometimes a herpes infection can affect other parts of your body, such as your eyes or other parts of your skin.

Frequently Asked Questionsexpand All

Understanding Genital Herpes

People with HSV-2 infection have an increased risk of getting human immunodeficiency virus if they have sex with an HIV-infected partner. Taking suppressive therapy does not decrease this risk.

How can the herpes virus affect pregnancy?

If a woman is pregnant and infected with HSV, it can be passed to the fetus during birth while passing through the womans infected birth canal. This is most likely to occur if a woman first becomes infected with HSV during pregnancy and in a woman who has her first outbreak late in pregnancy. But it also can occur during a recurrent outbreak in a woman who was infected before pregnancy, although the risk is much lower.

If you have sores or warning signs of an outbreak at the time of delivery, you may need to have a cesarean delivery to reduce chance of infection. The decision depends on many factors, including where the sores are on your body and whether the fetus would come into contact with them during delivery.

Can I still breastfeed my baby if I have the herpes virus?

Yes, in most cases. The herpes virus cannot be passed to a baby through breast milk. However, the baby could get infected by touching a sore on your body. Make sure any sores that the baby could come into contact with are covered when you hold your baby or while breastfeeding. Wash your hands with soap and water before and after feeding your baby. If you have sores on your breast, you should not breastfeed your baby from that breast.

Article continues below

Transmissible Even When Dormant

It’s possible to transmit herpes to another person whether you experience an outbreak or not.

Transmission with no symptoms is due to asymptomatic viral shedding. For example, research has found that in people with HSV-1, the virus can be reactivated in the body and allow for transmission to others without any lesions present. HSV-2 also can be transmitted without symptoms present.

How To Check If You Have Herpes

Many people mistake herpes symptoms for a skin rash or experience such a mild outbreak that they dont become aware theyre infected until subsequent outbreaks occur.

For more information, see our guide to Jock Itch vs. Herpes: Differences & Treatments.

Its also possible that you might experience no outbreaks at all after being infected with HSV-1 or HSV-2.

Luckily, there are several ways to check whether or not you have herpes.The best and most obvious way is to talk to your doctor about herpes testing. There are several herpes testing methods in use today, ranging from swab tests that check for viral activity to blood tests that check for the presence of IgG and/or IgM antibodies.

Each testing method has strengths and weaknesses, meaning your doctor will recommend the best option for your symptoms and potential infection type.

Most of the time, youll need to wait 12 to 16 weeks from the last possible exposure date before taking a herpes test. This gives your immune system time to produce a large enough amount of antibodies for an accurate test result.

Don’t Miss: Can You Test For Herpes

Can You Reinfect Yourself With Herpes

Although it is rare, sometimes you can reinfect yourself in another place on your body. If you scratch or rub active herpesblisters or ulcers and then touch another location on your body, you may spread the virus. Areas that are most often infected are the eyes, mouth, the genital area, and any area of broken skin.

Where Can I Get Tested For Herpes

To get a private herpes test, you can use a service that doesnt accept insurance so that no one else is notified that you were tested. This is up to you, since you can also have your doctor test you with a blood test or a swab. Be warned, though, that for swabs to be accurate they need to be done within 24-48 hours at most of a blister forming.

You can use this website for a 100% confidential STD test that you order online and then have done in a lab of your choice near you. The site says it will only take a few minutes to do so you can get peace of mind fast and privately.

References

You May Like: Are There Dating Sites For Herpes

Can You Sleep With Someone With Herpes And Not Get It

Yes. Herpes can be passed on even if a partner has no sores or other signs and symptoms of an outbreak. And if a partner has a herpes outbreak, its even more likely to be spread. Even when a person doesnt have visible sores, the only surefire way to protect against getting genital herpes is abstinence.